How To Apply For A Non-Lucrative Visa to Spain

How To Apply For a Non-Lucrative Visa To Spain? The website is vague and it’s very frustrating to figure out exactly what documents are needed. Due to many requests, I will explain how the process is done. Please note my process was completed in January 2017. At that time, I was residing in Los Angeles so the process could be different depending on which state you are applying from.

What is a Non-Lucrative Visa?

A Non-Lucrative Visa is a visa needed to stay longer than 90 days. This visa does not allow you to work therefore you must show a reliable source of income and substantial savings. The rumored amount needed in the bank is 25,816€. Why this number? I have no idea.

Depending on the time of the year, many study abroad students may be applying for a visa as well. With that in mind, it can seem impossible to get an appointment at the consulate.

As you fill out the forms, bring in block letters using blue ink.**Note** Dates are filled out DD/MM/YY instead of the usual way MM/DD/YY

Click here for the requirements. To make life easier, below is a detailed explanation.

Step 1: Obtain An Appointment At The Spanish Consulate

Make an appointment at the Spanish Consulate by clicking here. Register your email address and create a password. Timing is important. Upon visa approval, you must enter Spain within 3 months. To add to that, you will have to give up your passport for processing. Therefore, do not plan any travel outside the country during that time frame. After my appointment with the consulate, my passport turnaround time was 18 days. But again, it can be different for others.

790 Form – You may follow this sample here. The $11 tax fee is CASH ONLY

Medical Certificate – Make an appointment with your general physician. Explain to them that you are moving out of the country and the consulate requires the doctor to sign the following statement. This letter must be issued within 3 months of your appointment with the consulate. The nurse practitioner CANNOT sign. After obtaining a doctor’s signature and office stamp, have this letter translated to Spanish by an “Official Sworn Translator.” Example below:

Medical Certificate Of Good Health

This certificate verifies that Mr./Ms. ………………………………………………………………………is free of drug addiction, mental illness, and does not suffer from any disease that could cause serious repercussions to public health according to the specifications of the International Health Regulations of 2005. The contagious diseases include, but are not limited to smallpox, poliomyelitis by wild polio virus, the human influenza caused by a new subtype of virus and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), cholera, pneumonic plague, Bellow fever, viral hemorrhagic fevers (e.g.: Ebola, Lassa, Marbug) West Nile Virus and other illnesses of special importance nationally or regionally (e.g.: Dengue Fever, Rift Valley Never, and meningococcal disease.)

This was a pretty lengthy process:a. Print out the Request Form and fill out what you canb. The fee is $32. Bring a personal check. Pay To: “Department of Justice.” However, I’m not 100% sure so leave it blank and wait till you get to the fingerprint location.c. Using google, I found a fingerprinting location near me. It cost me $20. After fingerprinting, they submit it electronically. After 7 days, I received a letter in the mail stating I was clear of any criminal history.d. Finally, have the letter notarized and translated to Spanish. This document requires the Apostille of the Hague Stamp which will be explained below.

10. Proof of Financial Funds (Original, Copy, and Translation)

It is possible to have your bank statements translated to Spanish if you bank with Wells Fargo. After all, you will save money on translations of these pages. Print 3 months prior of bank statements of your checking and savings account. As a prerequisite, an income of at least €2,130/month must be demonstrated. If you don’t have that kind of income, you have to show at least €25,560 (€2,130 x 12 months = $30,131 USD – minimum amount you must have in your account.) This document requires the Apostille of the Hague stamp which will be explained below.

11. Medical Insurance (Original, Copy, and Translation)

It is important to select al health insurance plan specifically stating 0 copay and 0 deductible. Travel Insurance does not meet the criteria. In the end, I chose Sanitas insurance for 80€/month. To warn you, many insurance companies in Spain will not insure clients with “pre-existing conditions.” Upon approval from Sanitas insurance, this letter was received as proof of insurance.

When it was time for my renewal, I switched to a much cheaper insurance. AME Insurance costs 37€/month. Here, I paid a whole year in advance and was provided with all the necessary documents. If you would like to sign up for AME Insurance, please contact Rosa: rruiz.ameasistencia@gmail.com.

Purchase a money order in the amount of $140 made out to: General Consulate of Spain Los Angeles.

13. Proof of Accommodations

To show proof, you will need an invitation letter from family or a friend who will be responsible for your accommodations. My boyfriend from Spain emailed a letter along with his passport stating his job title and my reason for being in Spain. Email: cog.losangeles@maec.es (Different consulates will have different rules)

OR you can provide an actual lease for an apartment or house in Spain. I believe a short-term AirB&B would suffice however beware of rental scams.

I release hold of the Consulate of Spain and its employees, as well as the Spanish Foreign Ministry, from any and all claims resulting from a possible loss or damage of my documents while in custody or during transport, except in cases of intent or gross negligence.

___________________________________________________________

Lugar, Fecha, Firma / Place, Date, Signature

How Do I Get An Apostille Stamp?

There are two ways to get an Apostille Of the Hague Stamp

Option 1 – You may mail the documents via mail. In addition, all documents require a notary. According to the website, it lists mailing instructions for only California, Arizona, Colorado and Utah. If you do not reside in these states listed above, your best bet is to do a google search on how to obtain an Apostille of the Hague stamp.

Option 2 – You may go in person should there be an office in your area that processes the Apostille of the Hague stamp.

Process Of Getting Your Stamp

Cost: $20/document and $6 processing fee. Credit cards accepted! Before entering the building, you must pass through a metal detector. Next, take the last set of elevators up to there 12th floor. You’ll see signs pointing to the office. Grab a ticket number along with the yellow form (seen below.) Soon after your number will be called and you will present an ID and a form of payment. Wait time varies from 20 minutes to 1 hour depending on what time of the day you go.

Notary

Keep in mind all documents must be notarized before obtaining the Apostille stamp. In the event you forget to do so, around the corner is a notary.The fee is $10 per document and credit cards are accepted.

Sworn Translators

The website requirements has a list of recommended Official Sworn Translators. After all, I did reach out to every single one and as a result, only a few responded. How To Apply For A Non-Lucrative Visa To Spain

Step 3: The Day Of Your Appointment

Triple check your documents. In the first place, be on time! Second, there is no sign in sheet when you enter the office. Third, wait until your name is summoned. As nervous as I was everything went smooth. The only document missing was a letter stating why I was moving to Spain. As a simple solution, the clerk had me write a letter stating I would be moving in with my boyfriend. Finally, you will temporarily surrender your passport. After 18 days, an email was received declaring that my visa was approved!

When I returned to the office to pick up my passport, I noticed Spain Visa sticker at the end pages of the passport book. This is valid for 90 days. Along on that visa page is your NIE number (basically your social security number for Spain.) Because of the time of year I applied, the turn around time was quick however remember that processing times vary.

Step 4: Once You Land In Spain

Once you enter Spain, you have to get your residency card and that’s a whole other process. If you don’t have a Spanish speaking friend helping you, I recommend contacting JustLandedBCN.com. This company will help you with all paperwork and appointments. Your residency card is valid for 1 year. As you’re traveling in or out of Spain, immigration officers will always ask you for this card. Here is my lovely residency card! How To Apply For A Non-Lucrative Visa To Spain

Ready For Your Renewal?

Hope you enjoyed my How To Apply For A Non-Lucrative Visa To Spain. One year definitely goes by fast. Plan on staying for a longer period of time? It’s important to start planning for your renewal.

Need Help Moving?

Check out rates at parcelmonkey.com. For customs, be sure to declare your items as used. You will have to pay a fee and also provide documents of residency. I’m not quite exactly sure how they came up with the fee amount but all I had to pay was 70€ to the delivery driver and there I received my whole life packed up in 5 boxes. How To Apply For A Non-Lucrative Visa To Spain

29 Comments on “How To Apply For A Non-Lucrative Visa to Spain”

Hi! Thanks for the info, its very helpful. Im applying for this visa and I know you have to get your residency card within one month of landing in Spain. Do you remember how long this process took? I ask because I will have to leave Spain for two weeks, 2 weeks after I land the first time.

It took 3 weeks from the time of my appointment till when my card was ready. Making the appointment is hard. I would try to schedule that before arriving to Spain. You also need to make an appointment for the padron as well. That you can get the same day

How did you get an apostile for a bank statement? Those are only issued for documents issued by the government officials. Did they require 3 months of bank statements or was that just you being extra cautious? Thanks

So basically an apostille is a “stamp.” Luckily there was a government office in LOS Angeles that did it. You would have to get your 3 months of bank statements notarized first; and then get the apostille stamp. If there is no office that does it in your city, then you would have to mail it to the main office in your state with a check. For example, in CA, there’s a main office in Sacramento I believe

Hi there! My bf is going through the same process. I’m from Barcelona and he’s from the States. Is Proof of Accommodations mandatory? We’ve been trying to figure this out for a few days. We’re planning to rent a flat once he gets here, so what do you think I should do to help him get a proof of accommodation (I’m staying at my parents meanwhile)? I thought a notarized Letter of Intention made by him was enough, explaining why, where and for how long is he planning to stay in Spain.

It helps that you are from Barcelona. Before moving here my name was not on a lease. What I did was have my boyfriend send an email stating that he is inviting me to stay. You will have to email a copy of your ID and passport. State what your occupation is. The email that you send it to is listed in this blog. Let me know if you have further questions

Hi Jenny – thanks for sharing your experience. My boyfriend lives in Valencia and I am going to join him. I submitted my paperwork today at the consulate in Chicago and everything was in order except a woman working there said “this visa is typically for older people and I don’t think you’ll get it since you’re a young woman who wants to be with her boyfriend” – I was surprised by those comments. I am 30 years old with all of the requirements. Did anyone make any comments like that to you when applying -Ellen

I am also 30 and right now am gathering the documents to move to Spain with my husband with this visa. I hate to ask about a sensitive thing, but when I read about your experience I got nervous… Did you application go through?

Initial visa allows you to stay for 1 year. Basically when you get your visa page (only good for 90 days) in the passport, you have to go through another process when you arrive in Spain to get your residence card. When you’re up for renewal, it will be good for two years

The other way I can think of is providing a lease contract or agreement of where you will be staying. Perhaps if you have found a place, you can temporarily use AirB&B. Just be super careful of scammers

Hi Jenny! I am happy I found your post and the renewal post. My wife and I plan on retiring to Spain but your comment about insurance has me concerned. You mentioned you can’t get insurance with preexisting conditions. Would that mean that I can’t get health insurance as I’ve had a history of seizures? Well, to be honest, I’ve had two grand mal seizures in my life but the medication keeps everything under control. Without, insurance I can’t get the visa 🙁

Hi! For proof of income, I work online teaching English. My company offers electronically stamped documents of my contract period and the amount I make monthly. It is over the required amount. Would this be sufficient? (I don’t have yearly requirements in savings so I won’t provide bank statements)

How would I go about getting these documents up to consulate standards – notarized, etc?

Hi CJ. I submitted my bank statements only. I believe the require a certain amount because technically you’re not supposed to be “working” on a non-lucrative visa. For a question like that, perhaps you can consult with a lawyer

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About Me

Hola! My name is Jenny Chu. I was born and raised in California, lived in Las Vegas for a couple years and now I’ve been living abroad in Barcelona for 3+ years. I’m a proud owner of a lovely Shiba Inu (Señor Nobu) I’m a breast cancer survivor (read my story) snowboarder, foodie and now I spend my time looking for great travel deals.
More about me on www.iheartjennychu.com.